Crime in Mexico

486 Words2 Pages
The amount of crimes in Mexico continue to occur at a high rate and can often be violent. Street crimes, ranging from pick pocketing to armed robbery, are a serious problem in most major cities. In 2010, 62 cases of lost or stolen passports were reported to the Embassy. Visitors are encouraged to dress down and avoid wearing expensive jewellery or watches. They have to be particularly alert on public transport, at airports, bus stations and tourist sites as well. Passengers have been known to get robbed and/or assaulted by unlicensed taxi drivers, mainly in Mexico City. At airports, visitors are told to use only authorized prepaid airport taxi services. Theft on buses is also very common and it is encouraged that they are used only during daylight hours. There have been numerous reports of bus hijackings and robberies on toll roads. Even though most first-class bus companies perform security checks when passengers board, armed robberies and even kidnappings have been reported. The homicide rates in parts of Mexico have risen sharply in recent years, driven largely by violence associated with transnational criminal organizations. Ciudad Juarez and other cities along Mexico’s northern border have particularly high murder rates. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect United States citizens and other visitors traveling to major tourist destinations. United States citizen victims of crime in Mexico are encouraged to report incidents to the nearest police headquarters and to the nearest U.S. consular office. Drug-related violence in Mexico has increased over the past year. In 2010, there were 15,273 victims of drug-related violence in Mexico compared with 9,614 in 2009. Drug-related violence is concentrated in specific areas in Mexico and some regions are almost completely spared. According to the Mexican authorities, at least 89% of the
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